


Nose kisses

by Bill_Longbow



Series: Happy Steve bingo [3]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Spoilers, But still good to tag, Canon-Typical Violence, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Fix It, Fluff and Angst, Happy Ending, M/M, Only a Mention - Freeform, Way In Advance, mention of concentration camps, post Avengers 4
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-19
Updated: 2018-11-19
Packaged: 2019-08-26 03:47:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,612
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16673929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bill_Longbow/pseuds/Bill_Longbow
Summary: He watches the sleeping man next to him. His lover, his best friend and his home. Steve doesn't need much light to see, the twilight in the room is enough to admire his long lashes, and the way sleep has smoothed out the traces of past worries from his brow. Tony's face is always gorgeous, but only Steve gets to see him like this, soft and still, and he doesn't understand how his chest can fit all the love he feels, even large as it is now.OrHow Steve takes stock of how his life has progressed to this one perfect morning.





	Nose kisses

**Author's Note:**

> My third fill for the happy Steve bingo, for the square 'nose kisses'.
> 
> Big thank you to [ Wini](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Winifred_Zachery/pseuds/Winifred_Zachery) for not only doing an awesome job as a beta, but also helping me transform it from pure schmoop to this balanced fic!
> 
> The fic was inspired by [this gorgeous art by Ulla-5219](https://ulla-5219.tumblr.com/post/179897254333/breakfast-with-someone-u), go check out their Tumblr and give them all the love!

It's still dark when Steve wakes. It always is. He hasn't slept in daylight ever since project rebirth. In part because he doesn't need much sleep with the serum constantly regenerating him, but more because he spent so much time in bed being sick way back when that he doesn't want to waste another second.

These days he doesn't think staying in bed is a waste of time anymore. Staying in bed might even be one of his favourite things.

He watches the sleeping man next to him. His lover, his best friend and his home. Steve doesn't need much light to see, the twilight in the room is enough to admire his long lashes, and the way sleep has smoothed out the traces of past worries from his brow. Tony's face is always gorgeous, but only Steve gets to see him like this, soft and still, and he doesn't understand how his chest can fit all the love he feels, even large as it is now.

 

_Tony’s face is unnaturally still. Steve hasn’t seen it any other way than in constant motion, with large eyes revealing so much of the man underneath that he hides them behind sunglasses more often than not._

_He isn’t breathing. He isn’t breathing! How can he-- After all this, after saving_ them all _he can’t just--_

_Hulk lets out a huge roar of anger or anguish, Steve can’t tell yet, and suddenly Tony chokes and coughs, and his eyes open, turned unseeing towards the sky before they fix on Steve. Steve barely hears the joke, too relieved to notice anything other than Tony still being alive, too relieved to keep the way he smiles in check._

 

Steve tries to stay as still as possible, he wants to prolong this peaceful bubble, but staying still takes effort nowadays, and before long the jittery energy that thrums just below his skin becomes too much and he has to move his legs. Tony's face scrunches up a bit and his arm comes up to lie on Steve's thigh. “No joggin’ t’day,” he mutters.

Steve hums and moves closer, close enough to nuzzle Tony's jaw as he combs a hand through the unruly curls. “Sleep, sweetest,” he whispers against the skin of Tony's cheek, and rubs his nose against Tony's in a gesture even more gentle and intimate than a regular kiss.

Tony barely nods in answer, and by the time Steve pulls the bedroom door behind him Tony's breaths come smooth and even again.

 

 _He can’t imagine ever being this_ angry _before as he pulls the door to the conference room shut behind him. Why can’t Tony just understand that Steve can never sign those damn things? It’s been only a few years since he fought in the trenches against people who thought the exact same thing was a good idea. He still has frequent nightmares about the camps they found--_

  
  
  
He’s just done with rolling croissants from fresh dough when Tony comes down, right on time. Steve puts Tony’s Captain America mug under the coffee machine, a housewarming gift from Clint. He takes a sip from his Iron Man mug - another gift - and hands it over to a sleepy Tony while he leans against Steve’s back waiting for the machine to finish. Still pressed tightly against Steve Tony slowly sips his coffee, and Steve feels how Tony’s brain comes back online. The heavy, solid weight of his sleepy lover against him slowly changes, the leaning less like a necessity to stay upright. More movement comes to Tony’s limbs, his weight no longer heavy but more balanced.

“We shouldn’t forget to call the gardener today,” Steve says as Tony drains his mug and pulls open the fridge to get sausages and bacon.

“Hmm, did we decide on one?”

“I kinda like Francesca, remember?” Steve gets a frying pan for the meat and puts it on the heat. “Get the eggs too, will ya?”

“I must’ve been too busy staring at you in those new jeans you wore,” Tony grins, patting Steve’s butt before going to get the eggs. “Ohh, fresh oj!” He pulls the carafe of fresh juice Steve squeezed for them from the fridge and puts it on the table.

“She was the one who said we should consider an orchard.” Steve says above the sizzling of the fat when he puts the sausages in the pan while Tony sets the table with their fine white china.

“Right, we should just ask her then. I liked her too.”

When the oven dings Tony takes out the croissants and Steve puts the eggs in the pan, frying them sunny side up, just how Tony likes them. When they’re done he slides them onto Tony’s plate, leaning over him to reach the table and Tony bends to the side to make room. The kitchen is easily large enough for Steve to take a step to the side, but he just loves being near his lover at all times.

 

_What has he done? He’s leaning over Tony, shield raised high in the air. It’s not the fear in Tony’s eyes that gets to him this much, it’s the resignation. Somehow, somewhere along the line, they changed from friends, or maybe even more than friends, to this, where Tony just accepts that Steve will kill him. And it’s all Steve’s fault. Everything. From step one he has blundered. Unable, no unwilling, to adjust to this day and age, living in the past, rejecting Tony and his promise of a future._

_He couldn’t see it. Didn’t believe he was worth it._

_So the man who never backed down from a challenge hid himself. Hid himself so deep he doesn’t even recognise himself anymore. And when that one connection to his past,_ to himself _resurfaced he fought with all that he had to protect it. Even the man he’s straddling right now. Especially him._

_Steve can’t stand the look in Tony’s eyes, and like the coward that he is he brings the shield--_

 

“Anything else, sweet thing?” Steve surveys the table. It’s laden with fresh bread rolls, croissants, pastries, bacon, eggs, sausages, spreads and juice.

“Just a kiss, please,” Tony grins from his seat, and Steve obligingly leans in to press their lips together. He loves the taste of Tony's smile.

“More coffee?”

“And more coffee,” Tony agrees as he starts piling the food onto his plate.

Steve refills Tony’s mug, and gives him another kiss on the forehead as he goes back to refill his own.

“Rhodey is in town this weekend,” Tony says around a mouth full of bacon, “we might invite the others too if you want? I’m sure Captain America can spare some time for his old buddy,” he teases.

 

_Gone. Gone. They’re all just… gone. Oh God, Bucky… His best friend, his brother, his anchor, blown away in the wind.  Sam, Wanda, Vision, T’Challa… gone. His fault. Again._

_Some of his team survives. He clings to that. Doesn’t let them out of his sight for fear of them going up into dust as well. No one knows what happened to Tony. Steve watches the feed of the armour disappearing into space countless times. The last time Tony did this he came back. He_ will _come back._

_And when finally Tony touches down on earth in a weird spaceship, a blue half cyborg warrior in tow, Steve can finally breathe again. All is not lost._

 

“I’ll ask Buck,” Steve nods. It’s been a while since they last saw each other in person. That’s okay, though. Their friendship has withstood the inconceivable time and time again. A few weeks apart won’t change anything.

“Do you miss it?”

Sometimes Tony asks him this, borne from that deep-seated belief everyone will leave him eventually. Especially Steve.

 

_“Leave the shield. My father made that…”_

 

“Not one second of it,” Steve answers with conviction, wrapping his hand around Tony's, smiling at his lover.

 

_Tears of relief on the faces of the women Nomad saved from a human trafficking ring..._

_Bouncing Mjolnir off his shield into the face of a chitauri…_

_The exhilaration of a battle won..._

_Hugging the armour while they speed through the air together, whooping in delight…_

 

Becoming the first Captain America has had its perks, without a doubt, but none more so than this life they finally managed to carve out for themselves.

After breakfast Tony will go this his workshop. He has specialized in creating bionic limbs for veterans, and crafts them all by hand according to the client’s needs and wishes. Steve will cycle to town to give an art class in the morning and do grocery shopping in the afternoon. It’s a quiet, peaceful life. One they both worked hard and lost much for.

 

_By some miracle Tony forgives him, and because Steve might be an idiot but not stupid, he works hard to not fall in the same self-fulfilling trap again. They talk. They argue. They plot. They work well together. They are like they should’ve been from the get go. They are a team. They comfort each other._

_They both try to sacrifice themselves for the other, for all the others, and somehow that’s how they make it._

_It’s a mess. So much is lost, so much is damaged, but it’s okay, because they’re together._

_They work hard to rebuild their country. They give up superhero-ing in favor of it, they retire._

  
  
  
The ring burns in Steve’s pocket. Tonight will be the night, he decides as Tony nods, not truly believing Steve’s answer, but not contesting it either. Steve reaches across the table to cup Tony’s cheek, stroking the cheekbone with his thumb.

“You are my home.”

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on [Tumblr](http://bill-longbow.tumblr.com) or join us on the 16+ [ Stuckony discord server ](https://discord.gg/jtXcc3n) for all things Tony, Bucky and Steve!


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